Cover Image for Startup Founders Meetup - October 2024
Cover Image for Startup Founders Meetup - October 2024
Registration
Past Event
Welcome! To join the event, please register below.
About Event

Each month, we'll have a combination of tactical fireside chats with experienced entrepreneurs and plenty of opportunities to network with other founders, potential cofounders, and investors.

Agenda

Our format is as follows:

  • 18:00 - Arrival & Open Networking (Speed Networking Colour Badges)

    • Red = Fundraising | Investors | Looking for Funding

    • Blue = Team Building | Co-founders | Hiring

    • Green = Community | Opportunities |

  • 19:00-19:05 - Welcome & Intros

  • 19:05-19:20 - Community Shoutouts

    • A safe space to share what you're working on, recent wins, and any challenges you're facing that you'd love help with

  • 19:20-20:00 - Tactical fireside chat

    • An informal, hands-on fireside about the tactics and strategies involved in building, shaping and growing a startup. We will discuss different topics each month and invite diverse guests to share their stories.

  • 20:00-20:30 - Open Networking & Drinks

  • 20:30 onwards - Pub Drinks (The Jolly Botanist)

Why should you attend?

  • You're currently building a startup

  • You have an idea and are thinking of starting a business

  • You want to begin or co-found a business but you aren't sure what yet

What is a startup?

There are many definitions for a startup, often contradictory. To keep things simple, a startup is a newly established business that aims to develop and sell a new product or service under conditions of extreme uncertainty. Startups are usually founded by entrepreneurs seeking to innovate and disrupt existing markets.

Some key differences between startups and small businesses:

  • Growth - Startups are focused on rapid growth and scaling their business model. Small businesses are usually more focused on stability and serving an existing market need.

  • Funding - Startups typically raise, or consider raising outside investor funding through venture capital to fuel their growth rather than through revenue or loans alone. This is a generalisation and there are certainly startups that instead opt for the bootstrapped approach.

  • Risk profile - Startups tend to be higher risk since they are often pioneering a new product or business model. Small businesses tend to have lower risk profiles.

  • Culture - Startup cultures tend to emphasise speed, iteration, and disruption. Small business cultures can be more risk-averse.

  • Impact - Successful startups aim to be high-impact and reach scale quickly. Small businesses have a smaller, more localised impact.

  • Exit strategy - Many startups aim to eventually be acquired or go public. Small businesses focus on stability and generating profit.

Overall, the key difference is startups are focused on innovation, high growth, and disruption, while small businesses provide existing services to a local market. Of course, there is often a lot of overlap, and startups can eventually evolve into small businesses over time.

If you’re looking to learn about any of the above or sharpen your startup tools, this is the Meetup for you! 😎

Special Thanks

Hosted by serial founders, Rob Gelb of Campfire and Selby Cary of Scaleup Lessons.

Sponsored by Start to Scale, Shepherd and Wedderburn's initiative to supercharge start-ups and scale-ups.

Partnered with the Edinburgh Tech Meetup and Entrepreneurs Social Club.

By registering, you understand your contact details will be shared with Shepherd and Wedderburn LLP (for security purposes), who may contact you via email, in accordance with their Privacy Policy, if you also opt-in to their newsletter.

Location
Shepherd and Wedderburn LLP
9 Haymarket Square, Edinburgh EH3 8FY, UK